The Spirit of St. Louis

Starring: James Stewart, Murray Hamilton, Phyllis Coates
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Adventure, Drama
1957

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Charles Lindbergh (James Stewart) set out to achieve an aviation first- the first to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. While many had failed in this attempt, Lindbergh felt confident he could succeed- risking his life in the process.

Review:

Tim: This film represents a movie where the sum is less than the parts. Director Billy Wilder and star James Stewart should have proved to be a dynamic pairing. Their considerable talents do help this movie to succeed, but not to the level that was expected. There are some terrific moments in this film, but it leaves the audience wishing for more than was given.

The film has two aspects which make it very good. The first are the scenes where Lindbergh and his collaborators are building the airplane. These scenes are just terrific and so much fun to watch. The other aspect involves the scenes of Lindbergh making his historic solo flight across the Atlantic. This is a perfect embodiment of the classic man v. nature theme. If the rest of the film was as good as these select scenes, this would have been a great movie. Sadly, the other scenes, including the flashbacks, don't work perfectly with the rest of the movie. These scenes are forgettable, and really slow the movie down. While some scenes are exciting and memorable, others are significantly less so. In the end, this is a good movie that needed to be better.

James Stewart is quite good as Charles Lindbergh. If you can overlook the difference in ages between Stewart playing the role and Lindbergh when he actually made the flight, you'll find that Stewart was probably a good choice for the part. Sadly, besides a few decent moments, the supporting cast is mostly forgettable. This film is really about one man and one man only. I wish there had been a more important supporting role.

The Spirit of St. Louis does enough right to be worthwhile viewing. However, the film has too many flaws. While I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it, I don't want to get anyone's hopes up.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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